Aegis was awarded one of the biggest US security contracts in Iraq valued at more than $430 million
Keystone
The government is to investigate whether federal legislation is needed for private security firms that are based in Switzerland but active in conflict regions.
This content was published on
1 minute
The move follows news of the arrival in Basel of Aegis Defence Services, one of the world’s largest private security contractors.
The government has commissioned a report on the issue to be ready by the end of the year.
In 2008, the Swiss cabinet decided there was no need for legislation on the subject due to the small number of Swiss firms that might potentially export security resources.
The Swiss foreign minister, Micheline Calmy-Rey, said on Sunday that the private military companies had to commit themselves to respect international humanitarian law and human rights.
Justice Minister Eveline Widmer-Schlumpf said in an interview ten days ago that the setting up of Aegis’s headquarters in Basel did not run contrary to existing laws.
“However, compatibility with Swiss values, in which international humanitarian law plays an important role, is another question,” she commented.
Aegis employs an estimated 20,000 mercenaries, mostly in Iraq and Afghanistan. Many of them are on contract to the United States defence department.
You can find an overview of ongoing debates with our journalists here. Please join us!
If you want to start a conversation about a topic raised in this article or want to report factual errors, email us at english@swissinfo.ch.
Read more
More
Swiss fired up over arrival of mercenary firm
This content was published on
Aegis Defence Services, one of the world’s largest private security contractors, has set up a Swiss holding company for its different operations, effectively moving its headquarters from London to Basel. It employs an estimated 20,000 soldiers, mostly in Iraq and Afghanistan. Many of them are on contract to the United States defence department. While Swiss…
This content was published on
The Senate on Monday followed the House of Representatives in giving the green light in principle to the proposal, voting to allow the government to set the conditions under which personnel could be armed. Parliament left it up to the cabinet to decide whether private police can carry guns, not just batons and irritant sprays.…
This content was published on
Swiss police reacted with outrage at Monday’s report, “Switzerland: Police, Justice and Human Rights”, which they described as unreliable, and vehemently denied the accusations. At the launch of the report on Monday Amnesty said it had uncovered 30 cases in 14 cantons over the past three years in which police had committed often serious human…
This content was published on
Paul Seger of the Directorate for International Law at the foreign ministry tells swissinfo about the motives and the approach the Swiss have chosen. The foreign ministry and the International Committee of the Red Cross (ICRC) have called a closed-door meeting of experts in Montreux next month. A first workshop with government representatives from nine…
You can find an overview of ongoing debates with our journalists here. Please join us!
If you want to start a conversation about a topic raised in this article or want to report factual errors, email us at english@swissinfo.ch.